Til Death Do Us Part
by Ladyamesindy
Summary: 2176, Elysium. Sharing a week's worth of shore leave for their honeymoon, John and Jane Shepard wonder what more could a couple ask for ...
1. Chapter 1

The soft rattling hum of the air recycling system did little to mask the raspy echoes of a pair of sharply heaving breaths.

"John!"

The frantic exclamation was part scream, part sigh and part groan tinged with a squeal of appreciative fulfillment and was immediately followed by a deeper and much more masculine though no less satisfied sounding growl.

One heartbeat of a moment passed, then a second during which both sets of gasping rasps mixed and mingled and eventually melded into soft chuckles of contented laughter; one followed by the other, until finally one soft sigh bled to a second one.

Rolling to his side to keep the bulk of his weight from crushing her, John lifted a hand to brush back a stray strand of copper that covered jade green eyes. "So," he began, breath still choppy as he struggled to even it out after their latest round of extracurricular activities, "think maybe we ought to get dressed this time and leave the room for some real food tonight?"

Jane's rumble of laughter was soft as she rolled onto her side so that she could face him directly. As she did so, her hand began to trace the shapes of the muscles on his bare arm. "Hmm," she purred in the back of her throat. "Probably should. I think I'm out of my emergency stash of nutrient bars I brought with me." Her lips curved into a teasing grin as her fingers tangled in the light spray of hair across his chest and tugged. "Might need an energy boost for later."

"Can't possibly imagine why," John retorted in a dry tone. The only reaction he had to her actions was to reach over, lightly grasp her shoulder and gently tug her towards him. A moment later she sprawled across his chest in an ungraceful heap causing him to grin.

Jane opened her mouth to protest, but found herself squealing instead as his hands lowered to her waist and began teasing the sensitive and overly ticklish flesh around her ribs. "AIEEEE! John!"

Laughing heartily at having caught her so unprepared, he withdrew his hands and raised them to fold behind his head, interlocking the fingers together. He was not surprised when she moved to retaliate a moment after. Only once he'd allowed her an equal opportunity to do the same to him did he then roll them both, reversing their positions to that he could kiss her lips thoroughly. Breaking contact a minute or two later, he murmured, "Come on," as he pushed himself away, rising to his feet before reaching a hand out to her. "I want a _real_ meal tonight."

Taking his proffered hand, Jane was pulled to her feet in a quick move. Laughing, she nudged the side of his arm with her shoulder. "They teach you that move in N-School?" she asked.

He flashed her a wicked grin while reaching over to turn on the shower. "That and a whole lot more," he offered in a suggestive tone.

Her eyes rolling, Jane followed him under the spray. "Pretty big talk, for only an N5," she countered.

John reached for the soap and began building a lather in his hands. "Can't a guy at least _try_ to impress his bride on their honeymoon?" he asked.

Jane's chuckle evolved into a full blown laugh. "Keep trying, soldier," she told him with a pat to his upper arm, "you'll get there. Eventually."

Jane yelped a moment later as wet, soapy hands caught her by her hips and lifted, pressing her against the wall of the shower at a height so that their mouths could meet. Groaning softly, she melted into the contact, arms wrapping around his shoulders. "John," she murmured, "... dinner? Remember?"

She was a sucker for his kisses. He knew that from years of experience, and he now took full advantage of it. "Later," he promised against her lips. "We've got time…."

~ 0 ~

With a twirl in her step, Jane exited the bathroom, crossed the room and came to a halt beside John as he finished pulling on a jacket. "How do I look?" she asked, the barest hint of bashfulness tinging her tone.

John blinked a few times in astonishment. The best of times, he knew her to be hesitant about dressing up. Even in her dress uniform she tended to fuss and fidget with the hem or the buttons. She was a woman of action and as such, preferred her armor to civvies, weapons to baubles, but in that moment all he could do was look at her in the heels and black dress and just … stare in appreciation.

"Stunning," he finally managed to croak out when he found his tongue and hoped it would be approval enough. And she was that and more. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it, turning her around one final time before leaning over to place a kiss on the tip of her freckled nose. "Everyone else will be green with envy. And the best part is, _I_ get to come home with you."

Jane's eyes rolled, but she felt her cheeks heat a little with his words. She couldn't understand after so many years of knowing one another and finally taking this next step together why she should still occasionally feel that particular rush of emotion around him, but considering it meant they were finally together, she could live with it. "Now you're pushing it," she warned but not without amusement in her tone.

"Not in the least," he assured her. This time, he brought her hand to his lips and brushed his lips across the knuckles.

The walk to the restaurant took them less than fifteen minutes, but two hours flew by before they realized it and they were back out on the street walking arm in arm on the return trip to their hotel room.

"I'm quite impressed," Jane murmured, contentedly full. There was a slight chill in the air, but between the natural warmth generated by her biotics and the fact John had his arm wrapped snugly around her waist which kept her close beside him, she felt quite comfortable in that moment.

"I'm almost afraid to ask about what," he returned, though he could admit to his own contentment that the evening was progressing better than imagined.

Jane flashed a smile up at him. "The restaurant. It was lovely and the food was quite good."

John's arm tightened briefly. "Ah. Well, you can thank Anderson for that suggestion," he reluctantly admitted. "Once I told him we were coming here, he was quick to offer up several ideas."

"I will keep that in mind when next I see him," Jane promised. Sighing softly, she asked, "So, what's on tap for tomorrow then? I suppose we _should_ get out and, you know, play tourist? We've been here … three days? Four? And still have yet to see any of the attractions."

"Oh, I don't know about that," John teased. "I'd say I've got the best 'attraction' all to myself." He laughed when she swatted lightly at his arm. "But if we must …. Tomorrow is another of Anderson's ideas. He suggested the prothean ruins that were opened to tourists a few years back. Said he thought you might find them interesting."

Jane stopped walking suddenly, turning sharply to face him, her skirt swirling around her legs with the movement. "Seriously? We'll go?" She knew his interests usually lay in areas other than the historical past.

"Seriously," John replied with a knowing smile. "He must have found out just how much you enjoyed history classes when we were kids …."

Jane smacked his arm before wrapping hers around it again. "Must have," she agreed, but there was no hiding the excitement bubbling behind her green eyes now.

"Guess that means an early night then?" John asked with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, keenly watching for her reaction. "I mean, we wouldn't want you falling asleep on your feet tomorrow, would we?"

They turned into the hotel and walked through the lobby to the elevator before she countered, "Well, if an old man like you isn't up to the challenge …" Her soft squeal as he reached for her was cut off by the closing of the elevator door.


	2. Chapter 2

Jane was rather proud of the fact they made it out of their hotel no later than mid-morning the next day. Dressed in comfortable BDUs, she and John blended in quite easily with the majority of other visitors surrounding them on the streets of Elysium, many of whom were soldiers on leave just like them. Gear in hand - John with camera in hand and Jane with the guidebook she purchased before their departure - they set off for whatever adventure they might find.

The promised prothean ruins were only a short transport ride away and their arrival by mid-day left the the rest of the afternoon open for a detailed exploration. Or, at least that was what Jane was hoping. John took responsibility for the camera from the outset (anything tech-involved, he _always_ made certain he got first dibs) while Jane kept her nose comfortably buried in the guidebook looking for any and all specific details concerning the site. Discovered nearly fourteen years before during the initial stages of Elysium's colonization, Jane intended to learn everything she could about the ruins. She also took mental notes in hopes for a return visit later during their stay.

"Move over there," John directed at one point after they climbed to a spot higher along the ruins that was near the city wall. Jane complied though her attention was still focused on the guidebook rather than him or his. That she could move without even lifting her eyes to watch where she stepped across uneven terrain impressed John, though he wouldn't say it to her. "Jane?"

"Hmm?" Her attention now only half on the information and half on him, she still didn't bother looking up in his direction.

Sighing in tolerant exasperation, John walked over, reached across and plucked the book from her hands. "I'm trying to get a picture of you. You know, for my folks? So we can prove we actually played tourist like most couples on their honeymoon?"

Scowling, Jane reached over to snatch the book back, but John was too quick, stepping back and lifting the camera. She winced when the flash went off, arm rising almost automatically to shield her eyes. "Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" she protested.

"You really _are_ a menace when it comes to this stuff, aren't you?" he groused. When she tried to snatch the book again, he pushed the camera into her hands instead, lifting the book well above her reach. "Nope," he added when she still tried to grab it, "this is mine now. I confiscated it fair and square. You get to take photos for a while."

Jane lifted her brow at him. "Really?" she challenged immediately. "Your parents had a fit the last time I was responsible for photos. They all turned out unfocused and looked more like some sort of abstract asari art experiment gone wrong than photographs of us on vacation." Granted, they'd been at the beach, and there had been a certain amount of glare, but still. Seeing as she was nearly as much of a tech-nerd as her husband, she had been on the receiving end of a fair amount of teasing.

"This is a better camera," he assured her, chuckling at the memories her words brought. "Almost does it all on it's own." Glancing at the open pages in his hand, he quickly scanned the contents, frowning. "Where the hell are we?" he muttered before lowering the book to look at it more closely.

Rolling her eyes, Jane stepped over and found the right page with ease. Pointing to a spot on the map, she told him, "We are here. This," she pointed first to the map and then outward in the direction of the wall beyond them, "is North. We are heading in this," her finger came back to the map and drew a line across the page, "direction." Tilting her head to the side she asked quite casually, "Just how the hell did you get through land navigation in basic with your horrid directional skills?"

John ignored the dig and snorted softly. "I wowed them with my amazing tech abilities."

A smirk pulled at Jane's lips, the corners twitching in amusement. "You cheated," she countered.

"I did not," he replied. "I improvised."

This time Jane snorted softly. "You cheated," she repeated firmly and in a knowing tone. "Let me guess … you downloaded a map to your 'tool and input the coordinates."

Ignoring her, John turned his attention back to the book in his hand. But that didn't stop the flush from rising at his neck, creeping up towards his ears. It also didn't keep her from chuckling. "Watch it," he warned, but without any real heat behind his words, "or I'll report you for insubordination."

Another snicker. When John looked over at her, she winked at him. "Quaking in my boots over here," she replied with a grin before turning away to snap a few pictures.

As always, the banter between the two of them was light and easy; personal faults and inabilities had been acknowledged and accepted on both sides years before, leaving only room for good natured ribbing and teasing between them. It was, in large part, why they got along with the other so well and which now left the rest of their afternoon to pass in comfortable companionship and mild entertainment punctuated by moments of jest and amusement. They paused once about mid-afternoon to take lunch at a busy cafe just outside of the site, before returning to complete a thorough examination of the ruins. Only then did the pair begin their return journey back towards the hotel.

"You got too much sun," John mused as they walked through streets beginning to fill with crowds as the afternoon deepened into evening. It amazed him just how quickly the area could shift from the lazy and slow passage of afternoon visitors and sightseers to those seeking various sorts of entertainment for the evening. "You're already beginning to peel …."

Jane reached up and knocked his hand away as casually as if she was batting away a mosquito or some other type of bug. It was instinct that made her do it. Years of knowing him, his reactions around her, the way he would tease her. A part of her recognized he was most likely reaching out to brush hair away from her eyes and face than to touch the sunburned skin, but that ingrained sense of self-preservation struck first. Well that and she could already feel the heat of pain seeping across the area informing her that he was correct in her assessment. Ignoring the topic for the moment, however, she asked, "So … what should we do about dinner then? Take out? Back to the hotel?"

John chuckled. "Done with playing tourist for the day, are you?" he teased.

She felt her cheeks warm and ducked her head before replying, "More like I'm starving and trying to find out how soon we can get something to eat. Lunch gave out _ages_ ago, and -"

Whatever she was going to say to complete that thought, however, was cut off by a bright flash of light and an immediate accompanying explosive burst of sound that left their ears ringing. Instinct and training had both John and Jane dropping and rolling for cover around the corner of the building they were about to walk past. Both crouched low, hunched over to protect themselves from bits of raining debris that fell to the ground around them.

"What the hell?!" John hissed, moving to peek around the corner and scan the area. It was impossible to get a good look with so many people fleeing and screaming around them in sudden panic and fright.

"Bomb?" Jane asked immediately. From what she had seen, the blast had resembled that of a bomb but there had been something off about it which left her wondering.

Another explosion, this one just further down the street, had Jane scooting over beside him to peer around the building herself. Then came another, much closer. "Shit!"

"Orbital bombardment," John told her, hand pointing upwards.

Jane's eyes followed just in time to observe yet another incoming missile drop further down the street. "What the hell is going on?"

The ground shook beneath their feet with another hit. Rising quickly, John grabbed her hand and pulled her up beside him. "Good question." The people in the streets were still scattering pell mell in the confusion and raining debris. "We need to get back to the hotel and see if we can find out more. Maybe find some others to group up with."

Jane nodded. "Right behind you," she promised. When he darted out across the street seconds later, she was right beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

Arrival back at the hotel dumped them into a situation just as chaotic inside the building as outside on the streets; including numerous men, women and children desperately seeking their way to the nearest public safety shelters. Some showed signs of obvious injuries, but most were simply frightened and looking for reassurances that everything would be alright in a world that had given way to sudden and unexpected craziness. Jane did her best to be reassuring, but in the end there was not much she could do but offer words at that point.

"We need to find some heavier weapons," John told her after running up to their room to retrieve what little gear they brought with them. This was supposed to be their honeymoon, but that said both had brought their service pistols out of force of habit.

"We need to find reinforcements," Jane murmured, eyes still darting around the lobby, still filled with so many civilians despite many having left for shelters. "Surely we won't be the only ones offering some sort of resistance."

"Maybe. Wouldn't count on anything at this point except that we might be on our own for this," John told her.

The continuous bombardment upon the colony had not stopped to the point that it quickly became habit to reach out and grasp the nearest wall or piece of furniture to steady oneself as the building around them shook with the aftershocks of the hits. It was only after several minutes of relative quiet outside that Jane realized the bombardment had, at least temporarily, ceased. Reaching out, she grasped her husband's arm. "John, listen."

He did, and it took a moment before he realized why she'd mentioned it. "Won't last," he told her, crossing over to look out the windows at the streets outside. "It's either to soften up resistance or a pause to drop ground troops or something."

Jane nodded her agreement. "Look," she added, pointing across the street as a mixture of Alliance blue camouflage and civilians, all armed with weapons, went running by. "Maybe they know something we don't - like where we can make a difference?"

John scanned up and down the street. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."

Moving quickly through the streets and alleyways of the city, they followed the others, finally coming to a halt some blocks from their hotel where they found the makings of a defense line being set up. Fallen debris from surrounding buildings, smoking vehicles, anything and everything that could possibly provide cover was being or had been moved to provide as much cover as possible for those who had arrived to help defend the colony. A quick scan suggested that their side had almost a company's strength to fight with.

"Who's in charge here," John called out.

Leaving his side for the time being, Jane hurried off to the right to assist a group attempting to add to a cement barricade. She returned a few minutes later to find John conversing with an unexpected yet familiar face. "Rawlins?"

"McIntyre." The beefy armed soldier flashed her a grin. "Leave it to you to be around when all hell breaks loose, lieutenant."

Jane noticed the insignia on his collar and flashed him a quick salute. "You know me, sir," she replied with a glance up at her husband, "and it's Shepard now, by the way."

John nodded to the man they'd both come to know as friend in basic.

Rawlins snorted in amazement. "You finally said 'yes' to him?" He thumped John on the shoulder once. "The galaxy must be going crazier than I thought!"

Jane rolled her eyes, but said nothing in reply. Alan Rawlins had been a good friend to them both during basic training. Apparently, he'd done well since considering he already made Lieutenant Commander. "What's the situation?" she asked, turning the conversation back to the immediate matter at hand.

"Aerial bombardments appear to have stopped for the moment," he pointed out, "but there's been reports of multiple ground vehicles coming up from the south. I've sent word for as many volunteers as possible to meet here." He turned, pointed to the top of the city walls. "I've got a couple of scouts up there who are feeding me what data we can get, though it's not much." He turned back to gesture towards their immediate area. "Mostly, I've got civilians armed with whatever weapons they could find, mixed in with a healthy contingent of marines who were here on leave."

"Battle plan?" John asked.

The look Rawlins gave them both wasn't very hopeful. "Hold out for as long as we can. I sent a small squad to try to re-establish communications with the Alliance Command so someone offworld knows what the hell's going on, but that's about it." He gave them both a guarded look. "Right now, we're in a tight spot. We can offer resistance, but not sure just how long we can hold out."

"Well, you've got us now," John replied. "I'm sure you remember how stubborn we can be in a fight?"

Rawlins actually grinned as he laughed. "Just promise it won't end up like that last battle maneuvers engagement in basic," he countered.

Jane chuckled. "I'll stick to him like glue, sir," she promised with a wink. "He won't get lost."

"Hey," John protested, "ICT has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Jane flashed him a quick grin and a wink. "Show me later, then we'll see."

Rawlins laughed quietly, times now long since past giving him a brief moment of peace before all hell would inevitably break out again. Pointing over to his left, he told them both, "Over there. Just remember - we've got a lot of civilians mixed in with troops. They won't always know what to do."

John nodded. "We'll get them through," he promised.

Along the way over, they managed to scrounge up a couple of heavier weapons. Two assault rifles, a few basic grenades, even some extra ammunition. At least now they would have half a chance of survival. And it came none too soon. They were just moving up towards the front of the line when the first shouts warned of incoming enemy fire. A couple of explosions at the city gates opened the wall to the invaders a moment later.

"You really know how to show a girl a good time," Jane hissed as she dropped with John behind the barricade. At the same time, she felt the material of her pants give way to the abrasiveness of the asphalt as it burned against the bare skin of her knee. Jane winced. What she wouldn't give for a good suit of armor right then. Or something to give them a bit of an advantage.

"I'm going to be hearing about this for the rest of our lives, aren't I?" John countered. A second later, he was rising above the edge of the wall, utilizing the scope of his assault rifle to survey the scene before them. "Group coming through the wall," he announced. "Platoon strength or better." A moment later, he was sending off a spray of projectiles as the enemy fought towards them.

"'_We really should go to Elysium for our honeymoon_,' you said," Jane mimicked. A moment later they traded places and she was echoing his previous movements while he ducked behind cover and reloaded his weapon. Another soldier nearby called out an updated assessment of size and strength.

"It was a good idea at the time, I thought."

Jane snorted before dropping back below the edge, but she said nothing. The whizzing of bullets screaming above her had her ducking down further out of instinct. She considered turning her biotics on them at the moment, but even though she and John had been fortunate enough to come upon weapons on their way back to the hotel, she still hadn't had a chance to eat and her energy reserves were low. For now, or until she could find something to eat, she would have to rely only on her assault rifle and the hope of finding additional ammunition along the way.

John flashed her a quick grin before rising again. "At least it's something we can do together, right?"

"Sure. Helluva date night." Jane sighed, her hands moving automatically to reload. "I can see the future now - retired Alliance Marine, John Shepard, bouncing his children on his knees and telling them about the time he and their mom really lived it up on Elysium during the Blitz."

"Heh. Only if they've got cute red pigtails," he countered.

"'Course," she returned easily. "While you're busy entertaining our daughters, I'll have the boys out back, showing them how to _really_ take down the bad guys. Unless, of course, the girls want to learn how to take them down too, in which case _I_ get to tell the stories." She sighed. "Dammit, John, you owe me a _REAL_ honeymoon after this."

"Nag, nag, nag," he teased when he dropped beside her again.

Leaning over, she brushed her lips across his quickly. "The humor can come _after_ I save your ass, thank you very much."

"I hasten to remind you that things were going pretty good until -"

"You're just lucky we weren't in the middle of something else," she told him as she unloaded her rifle in a spray of fire aimed at the enemy.

John rolled his eyes, realizing she wasn't going to give in. "Fine then," he countered. "Next time we manage shore leave at the same time, we're there. Together. So, where do you want to go?"

Jane groaned, lowering behind the protection of the barricade once more. "_Any_where but here …."


	4. Chapter 4

The fighting and defense of the city went on for hours that felt more like weeks the longer it dragged on. Wave after wave of enemies continued to find entry into the city, charging forward and engaging those who were resisting. It became clear after the fourth or fifth such wave that they would have to finish this on their own; that the people Rawlins sent to communicate off world either hadn't made it, or reinforcements would be a while in arriving. Not surprising really given the strength of the earlier aerial attack. But now it seemed that focus was on the ground attack - the bombardment had not begun up again. But as the numbers of defenders began to dwindle and the lines holding back the invaders became more difficult to hold, both John and Jane realized that something more would be needed if they were to hold out long enough for any sort of relief to show up.

"I'm fresh out of ideas," Rawlins' voice could be heard over their comms as both John and Jane consulted him during a lull. "Anything from that ICT training you can pull out would be fine by me."

John grunted his agreement. "I've got an idea, sure, but it's risky," he replied. "And it'll require both me and Jane and leave the left flank vulnerable."

Jane eyed her husband, brow arched in question but remained silent otherwise. On the other end, they could hear Rawlins conversing with someone. "I'm sending over Rodriguez and Newell to help hold that side," he finally replied. Then, "What do you need from me?"

"Whatever you can spare," John replied quietly.

There was a moment's hesitation on Rawlins' end. All three knew exactly what John was asking. Extra clips, grenades and anything that might conceivably be used in their attack. "On it's way," Rawlins replied a full minute after.

Rodriguez and Newell arrived minutes later just as the next wave of the attack began to assail them. Scrambling under cover, Rodriguez handed over spare clips of ammo and several grenades. "That all we can spare," he told them.

John nodded and handed the ammunition over to Jane. "It'll do."

"Planning something big?"

John flashed the lieutenant a quick grin. "Something like that." Turning to Jane, he nodded. "Let's go."

~ 0 ~

It had been years since Jane and her husband had actively served in the field together, but anyone who saw them now would never have guessed it as they fell easily into step beside one another, darting off down a side street. As for Jane, while rank and training paths separated her and John from each other in skills, the recognition of her husband's ICT training came through acknowledgement and acceptance of him taking the lead on this mission. She would not argue against it unless she felt he was making a poor choice. And seeing as of the moment she had no idea _WHAT_ his current choice was, she was just following along.

Weaving their way along the streets, in and out of several buildings, they made a wide arc around the battlefield, but in a general direction that funnelled them towards the main gate. After a short while, Jane thought she could guess his general plan of attack and, all kidding aside at this point, he was finding their way in that general direction easily enough, all things considered.

That was not to say that they did not meet resistance along the way.

"John!"

Suddenly coming upon a squad of batarians as they rounded a corner had both John and Jane diving to their left, rolling behind a burned out vehicle for cover. However, the spray of gunfire spewed in their direction still managed to hit home. Jane rolled to her knees, rising with her assault rifle in hand and firing immediately, but she could not fail to hear her husband's sharp grunt of pain as he went down hard. She was just taking down the last batarian when she felt John jerk upright into a sitting position against the vehicle. Dropping beside him, she found his hands moving injury taken to his right thigh. Saying nothing, she turned her attention fully on him.

John's eyes closed tight while fighting off a wave of panic-laced pain, but they opened again a moment later as Jane began tending to the wound. "Ahh!" he ground out as the initial sting from the medigel she applied penetrated the area.

"Don't be such a baby," she chided, though her hands were gentle as they probed the area to assess the extent of the damage.

A quick look at her face told him that she was more worried than angry. If her brows furrowed together any closer, he figured they would end up in one, long unibrow … but he didn't mention that to her. Yet. "That bad, huh?" When she darted a quick look up at him, he clarified, "Your bedside manner gives you away."

Jane sighed and chewed on her lower lip. "It's not good, that's for sure. Not life threatening I don't think, but it will keep you from moving around on it easily."

"Easy's for privates," he bit out irritably. He'd be damned if he would let this stop him now. If he did, he'd never be able to show his face back at ICT.

Her eyes were still focused intently upon his leg, however, when he realized that she hadn't retorted to his last comment in her usual carefree manner. Frowning, John dropped his eyes to the not quite gaping hole that had torn through his pants before ripping through the muscle beneath. "It's not bad enough to end my career, is it?" he asked, swallowing back a quick wave of terror at that thought.

Jane actually laughed before leaning over to press her forehead to his briefly and then brushing a kiss across his lips. "It's only a flesh wound," she promised. "A large and painful one to be sure, more than just a little bit messy, but the only real damage you'll likely have is a scar." Then again, she only had basic field medical training. It would take the evaluation of a better trained person than her to decide the ultimate damage. Flashing him a quick grin and a wink, she teased, "And you know I have a thing for men with scars!"

John's hand caught at the back of her head, pulling her close for a hard kiss as the reality of their situation hit him. It was down to her. He knew it. The look in her eyes now told him that she knew it as well. Much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to let her go and finish the job he started. Alone. "Be careful out there," he rasped, handing over his spare clips and grenade belt. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Jane snorted softly, her hands pocketing the extra ammo with a grateful smile in his direction. "Hey," she whispered, "this is me. I'm the queen of improvisation, remember?"

"Yeah, my point exactly." Releasing her, he lifted his weapon and prepared to cover her if needed as she crossed to the other side of the street. "Jane -"

Resting a moment longer on one knee, Jane lifted a hand so her fingers could trace the shape of his cheek. "You'll be buying me dinner tonight, marine," she assured him in her sternest most officerial tone. "Eight courses. Lots of alcohol. Maybe some extra special treat for dessert, too, if -" she gave him a broad wink, "you're a good boy. Got that?"

John's bark of laughter turned into a quick groan of pain. "Got it, ma'am," he replied, giving her a quick salute. "Go get 'em, Tiger."

"I'll be back before you can miss me," she promised." A blur of motion later, she was gone. The bad part about it, he realized, was that he'd begun to miss her even as she left, and he was pretty certain she knew that, too.

~0~

A few blocks away, Jane paused to survey her surroundings. At the same time, she took a turn towards the philosophical. _The best part about this, if there IS such a thing as a best part, is I'm quick and fast and very light on my feet._

How many times in the past had she snuck up on John, and that had been under normal circumstances, not the heat of battle? They'd been teenagers when they met, but still managed to play 'hide and seek' of a sort aboard the ship their parents served on. That experience guided her now, allowing her to duck and dodge between bits of rubble, even giving her the chance to get up close enough to a group of batarians she could hear talking as she neared the city gates. Granted, their voices even as deep as they were, tended to travel well, and she could not see them just yet, but for now hearing was enough.

Taking cover in a door well of a blown out shop, Jane knelt down and made certain her rifle was loaded to capacity. She double checked the number of clips she still had before her hand slipped over to check that she still had the grenades at the ready. With John's plan blown to hell right along with the injury to his leg, Jane knew she was going to have to rely on herself to come up with an alternative plan. After some quick reconnaissance, she thought she might just have the beginnings of an idea that might work. The trick of it all was going to be timing.

The center of the problem as she saw it was the city gate. Wedged open as it was by the batarian vehicles, it was allowing them unfettered access into the city. Somehow, she needed to stop that flow of troops. In addition, the three vehicles also were armed with cannon-like weapons which their occupants would fire periodically at the line of resistance led by Rawlins and the other volunteers. To take those out would do no end of good as well, especially to morale. The trick, however, was going to be to get in close enough to use her limited supply of grenades and blow up the vehicles in such a manner as to block the gates and destroy the vehicles.

But Jane had a plan for that, too. Sort of.

Over the years since joining the service, she had been working on fine tuning her biotics. Her _Throws_ and _Warps_ and other offensive maneuvers were just as good as anyone else's, but she knew where her true strength lay - defense. And among her abilities was one that she normally used in defense of herself and/or squad members, and it was rare even among Alliance biotics: the biotic sphere. Though now, of all times, she was considering using it in a completely different manner than intended.

The battle for the city still waged around her; she could both see and hear evidence to that end. But for her part, Jane remained in the shadows as much as possible and moved in as close as she could to the city gates. Twice along the way she thought she might have given herself away, but after a few moments' hesitation (in addition to holding her breath and praying to whatever gods might be listening), it became clear that she could move on without concern.

She was within twenty-five meters of the gates and the three vehicles positioned there when she reached for the belt of grenades at her waist. Pulling the pins on two of them, she lobbed the entire belt in the direction of the vehicles, aiming for the one in the center, and then mustered up every ounce of biotic energy she could pull. Settling the sphere of energy to cover the three vehicles - a stretch for even the most powerful of biotics given the distance between vehicles - Jane held it in place and silently counted backwards as the grenades ticked off.

The initial explosion worked like a charm, as the saying went. Within moments of the sphere settling around the vehicles, the grenades went off and though they didn't outright destroy them, one was flipped onto its side and the other two were forced to collide into one another at enough angle to prop the third so that they effectively blocked the gates.

Jane released her biotic sphere a few seconds after, whatever energy reserves she'd been holding onto now completely spent with that one move, but the results proved it had been worth it. Rapidly approaching footsteps from inside the gates now had Jane reaching for her pistol, turning and fleeing back in the direction where she had left John. If only her luck would hold just a bit longer ….

~ 0 ~

The echo of the blast radiated across the battlefield startling those fighting on both sides. Rawlins, expecting something, if not quite this, had his people reacting immediately. The moment the batarians pulled up short in confusion, Rawlins and every other soldier - fighter or civilian (he viewed anyone fighting back against the invaders as a 'soldier') - opened fire at the same time. The concentration of firepower all at once and in such an unexpected manner eventually wheedled the numbers of opponents inside the city walls to numbers low enough that they were soon either lying on the ground dead or severely injured or were being rounded up and secured as prisoners. It was also during this last phase of the battle that communications with the Alliance was re-established and the ground forces were reassured that their numbers would be reinforced in short order.

Caught up in the aftermath of battle, it was a couple of hours before Rawlins realized he'd not yet seen either Shepard return. Searching the area, he signaled Rodriguez and Newell over to head up a search party. Before they could turn away to begin the process, though, shouts and cheers from nearby caught their attention and they turned to find both John and Jane hobbling their way back while leaning upon the other. Medics, part of the initial reinforcement contingent, immediately hurried over and assisted the couple to sit nearby so treatment of their injuries could begin. Rawlins joined them a moment later.

"Get lost on the way back?" he quipped to John, noting the blood-soaked field bandage wrapped around John's leg.

John winced as the medic cut the bandage off, rented the leg of his pants to expose the wound even more and then began cleaning it. With all the poking and prodding going on, it was all John could do not to growl out a response.

"'Slow but steady wins the race,' isn't that the old saying?" Jane countered. She glanced over at Rawlins while her medic tended to a wound at her shoulder thanks to the hail of gunfire as she'd fled the scene earlier.

"Something like that," Rawlins agreed. "So what happened? Couldn't see much from here and under fire, but the results are clearly all your doing."

Jane chuckled, ending with a wince as the medic began stitching up the wound. To distract herself, she explained in detail what she'd done so that both John and Rawlins would understand. By the time she was finished, her wound was stitched and bandaged and the medic was working on a second, less serious one on her forearm.

Rawlins shook his head in disbelief. "You always were a creative one," he told Jane in wonder.

"'Necessity is the mother of in -' OW!" Jane glared darkly at the medic as he hit an incredibly tender spot. "I thought you guys were supposed to be angels of mercy or something?" she muttered. The medic ignored her and continued working on her wound. Turning back to Rawlins, she concluded, 'Invention,' or so my mother used to tell me."

Rawlins chuckled. "Yes, well, I think you just proved that beyond a doubt. Wouldn't be surprised if you earned yourself a medal with that either."

Jane groaned at the suggestion and it was then that Rawlins recalled she had a serious dislike of being paraded around in the limelight. "Let John be the figurehead for this," she grumbled, proving his point.

"Oh no you don't," John spoke up with a grin. "You earned this one all on your own. It's about time you get credit for what you do."

Jane sighed, eyes rolling. "All I wanted was a honeymoon, if you remember," she countered.

John chuckled. "We'll figure something out," he promised.

"Probably not for a while though," Rawlins intervened. "Last I heard, an escort was being sent in to take you both off for debriefing."

John's brow lifted and Jane's eyes widened. "By whom?" she asked.

Rawlins shrugged. "Above my paygrade," he replied. "But if I had to hazard a guess, some pretty high level officers."

The clipped sound of precise footsteps alerted the three of them, and turning towards the sound, they found a squad of armed marines approaching. "Lieutenant Commander Rawlins?"

Rawlins nodded. Gesturing towards John and Jane, he announced, "I believe you are here for these two." Turning back to face them, Rawlins flashed them a quick grin. "Grats on a job well done, both of you. Hope you get a chance to finish that honeymoon!" As he walked away, he could not refrain from an amused chuckle as he heard both John and Jane grumbling after him. Whatever the fallout of the attack on Elysium, Rawlins was certain he would hear more about these two in future.

* * *

_**I hope you all have enjoyed this little divergence from John and Jane's main story (Destiny's Road)! I have a couple other background pieces for them in mind, too, so keep an eye out! :)**_


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